Hi i have decided to buy the K200d pentax DSLR camera and im stuck for lens choice. do i go with a pentax twin kit or do i save a few hundred $ and go witha sigma kit.

is there a huge difference in the quality of shots? is sigma notacably inferior to the pentax lens. what are the major differences.

i have alot of choices to make with the camera lens here are some
Body Only $565
with Sigma 24-70mm $615
with Sigma 18-50mm $629
with Pentax 18-55mm $685
with Sigma 18-50 + 70-300mm $785
with Sigma 24-60mm $805
with Pentax 16-45mm $920
with Sigma 17-70mm $915
with Sigma 18-200mm $915
with Pentax 18-55 II + 50-200mm ED $949
with Pentax 17-70mm $1149
with Pentax 18-250mm $1399

can anybody express there views on what they think is the best set up to go with. i would love the pentax 18-250 but it is out of my price range.
the sigam combo lens is cheaper then the pentax twin kit but im worried about quality. the sigma lens kit is nearly $200 cheaper then the pentax and it has a 70-300mm instead of the 55-200.

Thanks for the advice.
can i ask why u chose that lens? is in not restricting with what u want to do compared to the other larger lens?

I like to take pics of my kids and have got some nice resualts of close up photography of flowers and annimals with my sisted sony a350 using her 55-200mm lens thats why i was thinking of going down that path.

the focal length of 17-70mm in Pentax body is very versatile. It is great for wide angle shots for group picture or indoor, the 70mm is great for portrait in the same time create a nice depth of field.

The SDM will ensure fast and quiet auto focusing which you can definitely appreciate when you are taking casual sport or action picture.

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The 50-200mm is ok lens but not great. if you really like the longer reach for wildlife then why not 16-45mm f4 with 50-200mm ?
if it out or reach than you can go with 18-55 and 50-200mm

The other more expensive lens but the best for general purpose will be Pentax DA* 16-50mm f/2.8 SDM

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What I will suggest is go try the 17-70mm, decide if the 70mm is too restrictive for you. For me 70mm in Pentax body is quiet long.

To have 1 versatile general purpose lens rather than 2 lenses is quiet an advantage because you don't have to bother carrying 2 lenses everywhere and changing lens <-- this could take a minute or so and you could miss the moment.

Avoid the Sigma 18-50mm, 24-70mm and the 70-300 at all cost, they are horrible lenses.

The Sigma 18-200 (one is with stabilizer and the other don't have)
both have problem with corner sharpness. It is better if you use it on telephoto range rather than wide angle lens but the aperture is very big in telephoto end (f/6.3) make it only great in bright sunny day.

Both are average and versatile lens but the image quality produced will be inconsistent. In the right condition and setting it will be very good, in the bad condition it will make you cry he he he.

get A sigma they are very good lenses and they all come with lens hoods
What sorta range of wide angle and zoon are u looking for?
Miles P-A

The sigma lenses he mentions in this thread are of mediocre quality, designed for begginers. Please look at the thread before posting. Also, most recent Pentax lenses come with hoods (excluding some primes that do not require a hood)

Also, I was playing with the 50-200 (you call it the 55-200). The lens has the same build as the 18-55mm kit lens, which isn't THAT bad, but the optical quality is poor.

The 70-300mm is even worse (or the one you mention is) Tamron and Sigma have a better version of this lens that you can consider.

18-250mm 16-45mm+70-300mm or 17-70mm are the best lenses for the price (build+IQ quality wise)

Sorry I didn't post last time. i was preoccupied and now I have some spare time on my hands.

If the Sigma kit you refer to is the $259 package, skip it - it's junk.
Ritz had it on clearance down here for $149, and I had to return it the next day, because the focus ring was jamming on the small lens when mounted, and the aperture/diaphragm wasn't working.

Low quality junk for extreme beginners.

To compare, the one I bought came in a reddish-brown/white box, with a green carry bag which hold both lenses inside the box.

When I got it home, and opened it, it was plainly obvious that this was not a, um, quality kit.